Lucas Iverson’s James Ogilvie was supposed to end “The Pitt” Season 2 in a drastically different fashion.
A medical student working at the Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center, Ogilvie is introduced in Season 2 as a new addition to the staff. The demanding, high-pressure nature of saving lives at PTMC takes quite the toll on Ogilvie, whose self-assured personality eventually makes way for a major reality check. In an interview with Vulture following the Season 2 finale of “The Pitt,” Iverson revealed how Ogilvie’s story was initially planned and explained why the writers decided to give him a new path.
“It’s interesting, because the arc of Ogilvie changed mid-season. Originally, and in the scene I auditioned with, he burned out and quit,” Iverson said. “There was this confrontation scene with Robby. The story as I understood it was, this person who on paper should succeed in an environment like the Pitt is obliterated by it and can’t handle the pressure. But as the season went on, the writers gave him a bit more heart.”
Ogilvie became a lot more sympathetic in The Pitt Season 2
At first, viewers of “The Pitt” might have had a hard time sympathizing with Ogilvie due to his callousness and arrogance in front of his coworkers and patients. However, the HBO medical drama gradually developed Ogilvie’s arc in the latter half of Season 2 — particularly in a big moment in Season 2, Episode 13, when Austin Green (Johnny Sneed) dies during surgery. Losing a patient with whom he had formed a bond brings out Ogilvie’s vulnerable side more than ever before.
“I think that’s when the empathy came in,” Lucas Iverson continued. “It felt like we were trying to catch up to ourselves after a certain point: If we wanted to show that there is some humanity inside a person like Ogilvie, how do we inject that mid-season? Which was a fun game to play. I think they nailed it.”
As for Ogilvie’s future, it’s not yet confirmed whether Iverson will reprise his role in “The Pitt” Season 3. Either way, the series successfully wrote the character an arc that audiences won’t soon forget.
